CopyWrong

Been meaning to post this for a while but haven't had the opportunity, nor the Omega 3 enhanced memory (BBC Last night), to do so. But, here I am. Sitting at my desk between periods on hell day (Thursday: 3 double periods + 1 double period PW for a total of 8...).

The ad is done MTV style with quick cuts, loud music and strong (almost painful) images. It's obviously American, although intrinsically Singaporean, and it's invaded our cinema screens. It's HIP. In shaky letters that scream at you, it jackhammers it's way into your mind:

You wouldn't steal a Car.
You wouldn't steal a Handbag.
You wouldn't steal a Mobile Phone.
You wouldn't steal a Movie.
Movie Piracy is Stealing.
Stealing is Against the Law.
Piracy. It's A Crime.

It's quite an intrusive ad, really, and it does a pretty good job of getting the message across...but one interesting question: WHY THE HECK ARE THEY SHOWING IT AT A MOVIE THAT I PAID MONEY TO SEE?!
Last I checked, I haven't actually seen anybody set up a camcorder along the aisles and record the movie. There haven't been cases of people getting hauled up by ushers for hiding their video cameras in oversized trenchcoats and filming through their buttonholes. So why is the movie industry punishing me for paying money to watch a film? Hello? Wrong target audience...really.
That's the problem with intellectual property types. Aims worse than a 3 year old boy facing his first toilet. If you're going to make it hard for people to use their CDs (see CD copy protection, or, better yet, Half Life 2...) you're not actually punishing pirates, you're hitting the legitimate consumer. Presently have a useless version of half life 2 cos I just changed my computer and despite uninstalling it from my old system, I can't install it on my new system due to it's vaunted Steam engine. Bah. Meanwhile, pirated versions of HL2 wouldn't have these problems.
I am a movie buff (just ask anyone who's been with me when I've missed the first 5 minutes of a show). I pay money to go to a cinema to sit through a movie. I would just like to do it without having to sit through brainless ads that have absolutely nothing to do with me.